Coincidental Happenings
by Joanne Mariexx
Summary: Secret Santa gift for RionaleprechaunwingsGallagher: Wendell discovers that Washington D.C. is not such a big city after all - especially when you're trying to have a nice date with a nice girl, without running into anyone. Title/summary may change. Happy holidays!


**A/N:**_** Hey, guys! Whoo, am I glad to have this finished! And on time, too! My computer broke when I was about halfway through, and I lost a few paragraphs. Ugh. But, thankfully, I'm back and was able to finish this Secret Santa gift for the lovely and talented Angela Leigh! :)  
**_

_**Hope you like it! If you don't, feel free to ask me to re-write it. I won't mind. :)**_

_**Anywho, here we go. The story is set in early season 7, and here's the prompt I was given:**_

**Characters I wish for: Wendell, OFC, Hodgins**  
**Please include: First Date, Embarrassing Moment, Laughter**  
**Please exclude: Angst of Any Form**  
**Maximum rating: T**

* * *

It wasn't as if they didn't know each other at _all_ before they decided to try going on a date. Back when he was still working as a mechanic, Wendell fixed her car once. Well, _officially_ once. _Maybe_ there were a few texts sent here and there afterwards, a follow-up phone call or two a few months later. A house call, at six in the morning on one cold December day, because her car wouldn't start and she had to get to work. A bit of idle chat, perhaps on more than one occasion. The _tiniest_ bit of flirting.

That _oh shit _moment when he realized that he just _maybe_ had a _little_ crush on her and her pretty red hair and her cute little nose and the curve of her lips and the way she always smiled and looked down at her shoes when she was nervous.

The _ohmygodohmygodohmygod _moment when he finally worked up the courage to nervously ask her out on a date.

The moment of intense relief and that flood of joy when she said yes.

And, finally, a moment that few words can do justice. The moment when Wendell saw her standing on the sidewalk in front of the restaurant, dressed in black pants and a perfect blue blouse. The moment when it occurred to him that she'd really said _yes_ when he'd asked her out; and here she was. The moment when it occurred to him that he really had the privilege of being her date. The moment when he had to stop in his tracks, even though he was running a few minutes late, because he couldn't help but stare incredulously. Because… _wow_. She really was perfect.

He broke himself out of his reverie and continued walking until he met her by the door.

"Hey," he said, hugging her. "I'm so sorry I'm late."

She laughed. "It's no problem. Five minutes never hurt anyone."

Wendell smiled as they walked into the restaurant, hand-in-hand. After giving their names to the host, they were seated and given their menus within thirty seconds. The menus went ignored, however, for a little while as the two just looked around at the inside of the restaurant. While the dining area was dimly lit, round chandeliers hung from the ceiling and each table was decorated with exactly two candles. Flowers and other plants were placed around the room. Paintings were hung all over the walls.

Wendell pursed his lips, feeling a bit out of place in such an atmosphere. Fortunately for him, he wasn't the only one.

"This place is fancy," his date said with a soft giggle, looking down at the table and then nervously up at him. "I'm not used to fancy."

Wendell sighed, relieved. "Oh, thank God. I'm not either. I've never been here before."

He flashed her a lopsided grin as she laughed, and after a few more seconds, they turned their attention to the menu.

"Alright," she said, after a few moments of reading. "What, uh… what looks good to you?"

Wendell stared at his menu for a few more seconds before answering. "Well… to be honest, I can't really pronounce most of these names. But I can pronounce _ravioli_, so I think I'll go with that…"

A throat cleared from behind him.

"That's a good choice. It's really good here."

That _deer-caught-in-headlights_ moment when Wendell turned around in his seat to find Jack Hodgins standing there with a complacent smile on his face, Angela standing off to the side looking extremely apologetic.

"Uh..." Wendell trailed off for a moment as he looked back and forth between the two newcomers, lost for words. After several of the longest, quietest moments in his life, he was able to gather his wits enough to add in an awkward "hi."

"Hey. Who's this?" Hodgins asked, waving to the very confused-looking redhead across from Wendell with a friendly smile. "Got yourself a date, huh, Wendell?"

Blood rushing to his cheeks, he quickly stammered, "Uh, yeah... um..."

Then, trying to communicate just how sorry he was to his date, he glanced her way and gestured to her. "Hodgins, this is Lily," he said before jabbing his thumb in the scientist's direction and adding, "Lily, this is Hodgins and his wife, Angela."

Lily, with a nervous smile, extended her hand to Hodgins.

"Nice to meet you," she said as they lightly shook hands. She then waved at Angela, who hadn't moved at all from her spot several feet away. They exchanged polite, friendly greetings before the group went silent once again. It didn't stay silent for long, though.

"So," Hodgins looked towards Lily as he spoke. "Did Wendell tell you anything about us yet? We all work together."

Wendell, unable to think of anything to interject with, could only listen as the conversation continued, to his chagrin.

"Oh!" Lily replied with sudden understanding. She glanced at Wendell with a smile and then looked back towards Hodgins and Angela. "No, he hasn't said anything yet. But we just got here, so… we haven't really reached that topic yet. So you're all mechanics?"

Hodgins laughed incredulously and Wendell was suddenly fighting the urge to either drop his head onto the table or just get up from the table entirely and walk away for a few minutes. Both were somewhat rude, so he settled for covering his eyes with his hands, dragging his fingers through his hair, and muttering a soft "oh, God" under his breath as he lay his elbows on the table and leaned forward.

"Is that what he told you?" Hodgins giggled before turning to Wendell and continuing, "You told her you're a mechanic?"

Courage to speak finally slapping him in the face, Wendell straightened up in his seat and pointed a finger at Hodgins. "Oh no, don't you _dare _make it sound like I lied to her –"

"C'mon, a mechanic? How does that even begin to compare to –"

"I was still working at the shop when I met her, okay?"

Hodgins brought his hands up defensively and answered, "Okay, okay. All I'm saying is that you could have told her what you do a little sooner." He turned to Lily. "Okay, so, we work at the Jef–"

"_Hodgins,_" Wendell nearly hissed. "I've got it."

"C'mon, just –"

"_I've got it."_

Angela practically had to drag Hodgins away from the table after that, with a sincere apology and a quick _enjoy your meal_ before the married couple found their seats a few tables away from Wendell and Lily.

Wendell sighed and covered his eyes with his hands again.

"I'm so, so sorry. I can't… oh my god…."

Lily laughed. "Hey, don't worry about it. Trust me, I've been there before."

"I think you're lying," he smiled, eyeing her with mock suspicion.

"No, I'm not kidding! Seriously, one time in high school, it was my _parents_ who interrupted my date. When I was supposed to be at home and studying for a physics test. That night did not end well for me."

Wendell laughed along with her and conceded.

"Okay, okay, I believe you. You win!"

After a few more seconds of uncontainable giggling, a waitress appeared with a small notebook in her hand. As she approached the table, she pushed some stray blonde hair away from her face and took a pen out from behind her ear.

"Good evening," she said with a warm smile. "My name is Kristin and I'll be your server tonight. Could I start you two off with a bottle of wine?"

Wendell turned to Lily, who just shrugged, a _why not? _expression on her face. "Um… sure? Do you want to choose? I don't really know too much about wines..."

"Oh, uh… sure," she bit her bottom lip and picked up the wine menu from the holder. "Let's see… this is a big responsibility…."

The waitress waited patiently for a few moments as Lily thought it over, finally deciding on a bottle of red barbera. Then, after taking their dinner orders, she was gone.

After a few moments of silence, Lily looked up at Wendell with a playful smile on her lips.

"So," she said. "Let's hear about this secret job of yours."

Wendell dropped his head for a moment with a soft laugh and looked up again.

"Okay. I mean, I don't really think it's the most date-appropriate thing to share…"

_Go on_, her look seemed to say. So he did.

"I'm a forensic anthropology intern at the Jeffersonian Institute. My boss was in Maluku for a year, working on a research expedition, which was why I was a working at the shop when you came in. But now she's back, which means I'm back."

He finished with an optimistic tone in his voice, hoping that she wouldn't have a negative reaction. To his happy surprise, though, it was exactly the opposite.

"Oh, that's cool! So do you work with, like, human remains and stuff like that? "

"Yeah, yeah," he answered, pleasantly surprised by the lack of disgust in her voice. "And I help find cause of death and murder weapons."

"Murder weapons?"

"Oh, yeah - we investigate homicides with the FBI. Guess I should've opened with that."

"Ha, no worries. That's actually really interesting. Like, you get to use science to help people and solve murders? You don't really hear about that every day. And it's a lot more interesting than being a mechanic, I've got to say... I sound way more enthusiastic about it than I should, don't I?"

Wendell laughed.

"No, no, you're good. And thanks," he said. "You know, not everyone has the same reaction to the whole working-with-dead-people thing as yours."

"Well, it's nothing to be embarrassed about. It seems pretty prestigious, actually. What about your friends? Are they also anthropologists?"

Wendell shook his head.

"No," he answered. "Hodgins doesn't work with the bones. He analyzes plants, bugs, and minerals. And Angela does facial reconstructions and basically everything that requires a computer. We have a pretty diverse team…."

A pause and a change of subject.

"So what about your job? Where were you rushing to the other morning when your car wouldn't start?"

Lily looked surprised that the question came up, and quickly swallowed another sip of wine before speaking. "Oh, wow…. Well, it's no forensics job…"

Wendell gave her the same _go on_ expression that she'd given him before, and she laughed before continuing.

"I was on my way to – you know the music center on Upton? I teach classes there. The other morning I had to run to give a private violin lesson."

"Wait, at six thirty in the morning? Why would someone schedule a lesson that early?"

"Beats me," she answered with a shrug. "Apparently she couldn't schedule it for any time other than six thirty on Thursday mornings. I decided not to ask about it."

The waitress returned just then with their drinks and set two wine glasses and the rest of the bottle on the table, announcing that their food should be out in a few minutes before turning and leaving again. Lily and Wendell each took a sip.

"Do you play any instruments other than the violin?" Wendell asked.

Lily nodded. "Just two. Piano and guitar."

"Wow! Do you give lessons for those too?"

"Yeah. Private and group lessons for all of them. I mostly teach kids, though."

"Are there a _lot_ of kids in all your classes?"

"_Oh_, yes!" she answered with an exaggerated nod. "You wouldn't believe how many parents sign their kids up for music lessons because they want them to be well-rounded or whatever. And they sign them up young, too! Like, there's this little boy in my guitar class – I think he's around six years old – and I swear, the guitar is bigger than he is. It's like – oh, wait, can I show you a picture? I think I have one on my phone."

"Go for it! It sounds adorable."

Lily turned in her chair to reach for her purse, but then, due to an extremely unfortunate table setting, once she'd fished out her phone, she swung her hand back in front of her –

And ended up knocking her wine glass and the open bottle over in Wendell's direction.

"Oh-!"

Before either one of them could blink, the red wine had spilled over the table and onto Wendell, who was now looking down at his shirt, mortified.

"Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry!" Lily apologized, grabbing her napkin, walking over to his side of the table, and handing it to him as fast as she could. As much as he dabbed at his shirt, though, the wine wasn't coming out.

"It's okay, it's okay," Wendell stammered, standing up from his seat. He picked up the bottle and glass and set them right side up on the table. He met her eyes. "It was an honest mistake. Don't worry about it. Just, uh… excuse me for a minute. I'll be right back."

She just nodded as he gently passed her, headed for the bathroom, with his cheeks as red as the wine staining his shirt. Covering her face with her hands, she sat back down with a heavy sigh and quietly berated herself for her mistake.

* * *

"Oh no, oh no, oh no… _come on_..."

Standing in front of one of the bathroom sinks with a few paper towels in his hand, Wendell continued trying to clean his shirt. He wet the tip of the towel and scrubbed it back and forth across the fabric, rubbed at it with his thumbs, but instead of the wine coming out, the angry red blotch only seemed to get bigger. Eventually, he just gave up and threw the paper towels in the trash. Then, leaning against the sink with his head down, he wondered how he could go back out to his table.

It wasn't his fault that the wine spilled. It wasn't Lily's fault either. It was a mistake. And no one would hold the stain against him, he knew that. She certainly wouldn't. But still. Walking back out with his front practically covered in red wine would draw attention, pity, and probably judgment that he didn't want. He knew he'd be too embarrassed to look Lily in the eyes after that. However, he knew he had to walk back to his table at some point. He sighed, wishing as hard as he could that he could just make the problem disappear.

The next best thing came through the door just then.

"Did someone order a quick stain removal?"

Wendell looked up, relief written all over his face.

"Hodgins," he smiled. "Please tell me you know how get this out."

He gestured to his shirt, and Hodgins responded by holding up a can of seltzer as if he were making a toast with it.

"What, did you expect me not to know? C'mon, take off your shirt."

Wendell complied, carefully unbuttoning it and shrugging it off as Hodgins opened the can and gave him direction.

"Here, just hold the stained part over the sink."

Hodgins took the can and gently started pouring the seltzer over the shirt. To Wendell's surprise, the wine began to slowly fade from the fabric. He had to blink a few times to make sure it was really happening, but it was. The stain slowly turned from red to a light pink.

But after a few more seconds of pouring until the can was empty, the pink hadn't faded any more. It was significantly less obvious, but still very noticeable. And after drying the shirt as much as they could, the color still hadn't changed any more.

"That normally works better," he admitted with a frown, furrowing his eyebrows. Wendell, however, didn't seem to mind.

"No, that's fine," he said as he started to put the shirt back on. "Thank you _so_ much, Hodgins. You are the _best_."

Hodgins grinned. "Yeah, I am the best."

Wendell laughed as he finished buttoning his shirt. "You're modest, too."

"Yeah, yeah," Hodgins chucked before grabbing Wendell by the shoulder and turning serious for a moment. "Alright - now go woo that girl!"

"Trying my best!"

After one more thankful glance at Hodgins, Wendell left the bathroom and went back to his table, where the food had arrived when he was in the bathroom, and where Lily was still waiting patiently for him.

"Hey! Again, I'm _so _sorry about that!"

"Don't worry about it," Wendell replied with a smile. "Really, it's fine!"

Lily looked down with a smile and quietly thanked him, and from that moment on, they continued their date as if nothing happened. And by the end of the evening, they'd nearly forgotten about their little fiasco. Nearly. Lily ended up apologizing one more time before she got into a cab, and Wendell ended up emphasizing the fact that it _really _was okay, and that she shouldn't worry about it _at all._

Wendell also ended up giving and receiving a kiss to the cheek, which resulted in a moment of complete, unparalleled joy, and a vague sense of disbelief. He waited until the cab had moved from the curb to lean back against the outside of the building and let out a happy sigh.

And Angela and Hodgins, thankfully, waited until the cab had disappeared from view before they came through the glass doors and chimed a drawn out "aw!"

And Wendell waited until work the next day to be annoyed about it.

* * *

**A/N: And there we go! This was my first experience writing with an OC, so I hope I didn't disappoint. Also, the ending sort of bugs me, but I couldn't find a better way to end it. Any critique would be lovely.**

**Angela (and everyone else!), I hope you have a wonderful, very merry Christmas! :)**

**Happy holidays,**

**Jo-**


End file.
